Yoga and Surfing

The ability of yoga’s breathing, meditation, and asana practices to help calm the mind and increase focus, stamina, flexibility, and strength has helped make practicing yoga a popular cross-training exercise for many types of physical activities. Over the last couple of years, the surfing community has begun to buzz about the ways in which a consistent yoga practice can improve your surfing, and perhaps it’s time for the yoga community to buzz back.

Yoga Teacher Benita Hussain recommends poses that strengthen the arms, legs, and back, while relieving the lower back pain shared by many surfers. In addition to physical benefits, she believes that surfing and yoga “have a natural partnership” as “ways of life–disciplines that, with time, help you combat fear, breathe deeper, and achieve the kind of bliss that only riding a wave or pressing into your first headstand can provide.” In this way, surfing could potentially improve your yoga practice as much as the other way around.

This is a philosophy that makes sense to popular yoga teacher and surfer, Shiva Rea. When asked how surfing makes her a better yogi, she talks about how surfing can connect you with the power of the elements and immerses you in the tidal pulse and the breath wave. It is this sense of connection and serenity that many people are trying to achieve on their mat. Reciprocally, the heightened awareness that can come from practicing yoga can help surfers to be more centered and aware on the waves.

Some of the comparisons between the nature of the ocean and the nature of our bodies may seem obvious, as are those between the laid back, going with the flow stereotype of surfing culture and the letting go process many encounter in their yoga practice. Yet these comparisons can be valid despite being easy. Author Mihaly Csikszentmihaly describes the common surfer lingo “stoked” as “being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz." Or perhaps like practicing yoga.

Do you practice yoga and surfing? How has one influenced the other? Can you drop-into a yoga pose and ride it out like a wave or do you constantly wipe-out in your poses?

Amber completed an eclectic 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2007, and considers herself an eternal student. She has a Master of Arts in Health Education and Promotion, and is inspired by empowering others to take control of their health and well-being. After teaching gentle and slow flow yoga for many years, she is taking a break from teaching and is currently learning another side of yoga through her desk job. In this new challenge, her core tools for maintaining balance include her home practice, family, friends and being in nature. Creative expression, engaging with current yogic thought, trends, philosophy and exploring health and wellness through plants (as food, medicine and nourishment) are her passions.

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Our Yoga Books

Check out our yoga books: Yoga for Beginners takes you through all the basics of practicing yoga and then teaches you the poses in the context of a yoga practice sequence. Yoga Class guides you through eight lessons to learn 30 of the most commonly used poses while incorporating yogic philosophy and principles of alignment.

New to Yoga?

To get the most out of our site, we suggest you take some time to explore before jumping into the practice. Browse our yoga 101 section for general info on the history and types of yoga, then start exploring asanas the physical postures used in hatha yoga. Remember to breathe and always start your yoga practice with a brief meditation. If you are new to yoga, please read our Yoga for Beginner's page

Ahimsa / Non-Violence

Ahimsa, the yogic practice of non violence must be adhered to when engaging in the practice of hatha yoga. Respect your body's limitations and inner wisdom, if something feels wrong or dangerous, please do not do it.
Please consult your health care practitioner before starting a yoga, pranayama or other exercise program.

Yogic Wisdom

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.